All The Stars Have Gone Out
by Bones McCoy
Summary: Bones McCoy has just returned from a long night of hunting down some infected that got too close to the perimeter. So, naturally he is exhausted when he returns to his bed in the American Wing of New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. When he wakes the next morning, his precious little girl, Joanna, is missing.
1. Bones

**AU-FANFICTION**

** -in a post-apocalyptic world, the bridge crew from the U.S.S. Enterprise has become a specialized team, sent out to hunt down zombies and keep them away from safe areas where the human population still endures. **

**City: Former New York City, United States of America**

** The surviving New York inhabitants have built a home for themselves inside Central Park. Among them there are 400 crew members of the U.S.S. Enterprise and 527 survivors from the New York neighborhoods. **

**FYI**

**Building Color Code Levels:**

**Black: Infested. Countless known threats. (426+ INFECTED, 21+ SPORES) **

**Red: Overrun. Many known threats. (251 to 425 INFECTED, 10 to 20 SPORES)**

**Blue: Moderately Dangerous. Multiple known threats. (130 to 250 INFECTED, 4 to 9 SPORES)**

**White: Minimal Danger. Some potential threats. (51 to 129 INFECTED, 1 to 3 SPORES)**

**Green: Safe. Mainly empty, very few potential threats. (0 to 50 INFECTED)**

**(Sorry for the long note here, i think you'll need it)**

Light filtered in through the rubble stacked against the windows onto Bones' blood spattered face. He groaned and ungracefully rolled off the filthy mattress. Bones' hand drifted to his head as he sat up groggily and silently cursed the sun for waking him. Opening his eyes, he notices the empty bed, and his next thought is of his daughter, Joanna. Instantly awake, he darted out of their small room and into the next room, the HQ. Seeing Kirk at one of the desks, he runs up frantically, "Jim, she's missing." Kirk stood up and grabbed Bones' shoulders and spoke slowly,

"Slow down, Bones, you're tired, you've had a long night, just calm down and tell me what happened."

"Jo's gone, I woke up and she j-just wasn't… there, Jim, where is she?"

"Look, Bones, she couldn't have gotten far, there are plenty of patrols and almost no way past the defenses, we check them every day." Bones glared at Jim menacingly,

"Dammit, Jim, check them again!" turning back the way he came, Bones ran to go get his gun and backpack. Jim picked up the nearby walky-talky are radioed in to the defenses,

"I need a patrol to scour the defenses, NOW! Look for any opening big enough for a small child, there is a little girl missing. She may potentially be in serious danger, were she to get outside the perimeter. She is eight years old, about three feet tall, fifty pounds, with blonde hair and green eyes." Scanning the room, Jim's eyes found Chekov and he barked, "Get the team assembled, and get Spock in the control room, we're gonna need radio support." Chekov nodded eagerly and squeaked,

"I can do zat, Keptin."

~~~Twenty minutes later~~~

Kirk and crew walked out of the Museum and up ahead they could see Bones arguing with the patrol at the gates. As they got closer, they could hear Bones say,

"What do you mean I can't leave without a partner? That's bullshit! My daughter's out there!" Jim jogged up to the guards,

"Don't worry, he's with us." Kirk motioned behind him to Sulu and Uhura, still throwing on gear, and to Scotty, fixing a couple straps on Chekov's chest. Putting a finger up to his ear, he continued, "Spock, you hear me?" The Vulcan replied smoothly,

"Loud and clear, captain." Jim pulled another earpiece from his pocket and tossed it to Bones, saying,

"You all set, Bones?" Bones nodded gravely and turned to the guards expectantly. The guards were about to open the gate when Kirk held up a hand and listened to the news coming from his earpiece,

_"Sir, there is a breach in the perimeter on the East side by the American Wing." _Kirk sighed heavily and breathed,

"Well, Bones, looks like she's out. Let's just hope she hasn't gotten too far." Bones glared at the guards and impatiently yelled,

"Open the goddamn gates already!" The guards pulled open the gates and Bones rushed out. Kirk turned to the team,

"I'm with Bones. Scotty, you're with Chekov. Sulu and Uhura, you two are a team." Jim ran after Bones. The rest split up, to go around and see if Joanna was still close by the perimeters. Jim caught up with Bones at the corner of East Drive and 85th street, where the breach was reported. While they studied the breach, they could see a repair team coming to fix it. Jim reported, "Bones, these links are old and rusted, she's known about this for a long time." Bones puffed sadly,

"I can see that, Jim. I just hope it isn't too late. Oh, Jo…" Bones turned and crashed through the bushes to the edge of the bridge. He jumped down onto the 85th Street Traverse and started hiking into the city, with Jim right on his heels. When they reached the corner of 5th Avenue and East 84th Street, Jim radioed in,

"Sulu, Uhura, you on? Chekov, Scotty, you hear me?"

Sulu: "I hear you, Kirk."

Uhura: "I'm here, Jim!"

Chekov: "Da, Keptin."

Scotty: "Oi, Cap'n."

"Meet up on the corner of 5th and East 84th. We don't wanna get too far without some friends on our asses." Bones slowed down but kept walking, not wanting to waste any time looking for his daughter. Jim noticed Bones walking ahead and called out, "Bones, wait up! I know you're itching to find her, but just wait for the team to get here and we'll find her together." Bones whipped on Jim angrily,

"There is no time, Jim! Joanna is who-knows-where right now and you want me to WAIT!" Bones stormed ahead down East 84th and Kirk put a hand up to his ear,

"Alright, guys, Bones isn't waiting, he's heading down East 84th right now, Hightail it down here, I'll try and keep you updated on our position so you can follow."

"Copy, Cap'n. Alright Chekie, let's get a move on."

"Sulu here, we're about a block from you on East 82nd and closing fast."

"Copy, Sulu, I can see you from here." Jim turned down to continue following Bones when Uhura yelled over the radio,

"JIM! Infected behind you!" Jim whipped around and pulled out his pistol to watch a wave of infected run out of a nearby building. Bones, hearing the mutated screams and clicks of infected spun around to see the wave converge on Kirk; lifting his M16, Bones shot down an infected about to pounce. Kirk shot an infected in the head not sparing time to watch it fall as he spun around to shoot another behind him. Uhura jumped on top of the hood of a nearby car and fired into the wave of infected with the Carbine slung over her shoulder. Jim fired until his 9mm was empty, dropping it back in its holster, he pulled out a hunting knife from his boot and drove it into the neck of a nearby clicker. Sulu charged in the wave, gunning down the infected trapping Jim; allowing him to retreat and reload. After a few minutes, the infected stopped coming. Jim leaned over and put his hands on his knees in exhaustion, lifting a hand to his ear he panted,

"Spock, why was I not informed of a White level building in this area?"

"I do not know, captain. There are no white level buildings this close to the compound listed in the database." Jim cursed,

"Fix that, Spock!" speaking again into his earpiece, Jim continued, "Chekov, Scotty, where are you guys?" There was a long, worrying pause before Jim repeated, "Chekov, Scotty, where are you?" the earpiece crackled to life and Scotty finally replied,

"Cap'n, there wos infected, *buzzing and crackling* Chekie… *crackle crackle* injured…" Bones snapped,

"Scotty, Where are you?" there was another long pause until Scotty coughed,

"Park Aven… … st 90th str-…" Bones answered,

"Hang in there, Scotty, I'm on my way." Bones darted down Park Avenue with Jim, Sulu, and Uhura on his heels. When Bones arrived, he looked around the abandoned street warily. The group stepped carefully over the rubble. Jim yelled,

"Scotty? Chekov? Can you hear me?" Scotty stood up from behind a destroyed car and waved them over,

"Oi, Bones, Chekie's real bad." Bones knelt down beside Chekov. Chekie smiled weakly and breathed,

"Hello, Doctor…" Bones patted Chekie's shoulder and comforted,

"You're gonna be okay, kid." Bones turned to Scotty, "What happened?"

"The infected swarmed out o'that buildin' over there, one of 'em charged 'im and 'e fell onto a piece of that car frame." Bones nodded and shrugged his backpack off, taking out bandages and morphine. Bones hailed Jim and said,

"Help me pull him off of it." Jim came over and placed his hands on Chekov's shoulder opposite of Bones. "On the count of three, Jim. One…Two…Three." Jim and Bones pulled Chekov's shoulders away from the car chassis. Chekov's features twisted in pain and he cried out weakly. "Gently, now, Jim. Lean him on your shoulder, hold him steady." Reaching in his bag, Bones continued, "Alright, Kid. Just relax, you're gonna be okay." Bones lifted some bandages to wipe away the dirt, and threw those bandages on the ground. He lifted more and pressed them deep into the wound, earning a pain-filled groan from Chekov. The boy squeezed his eyes shut as Bones wrapped the bandages around his shoulder. "We need to get him back to base, it is far too dangerous for him out here." Jim stood and radioed in,

"Spock, Chekov is injured, we're gonna bring him back to base, be sure to have a medical team on standby for him."

"Yes, Captain."

"Oh, and Spock?"

"Captain?"

"WHY was I not informed of, not one, but TWO white level buildings this close to base!?"

"Captain…I did know of the existence of any white level building within eight city blocks of the compound, sir."

"FIX IT!" Sulu visibly cringed in fear, Spock dejectedly replied,

"Right away, Captain." Jim turned to the group,

"Who's bringing him back?" Scotty volunteered,

"I can go wit 'im." Kirk nodded and looked at Bones,

"Are you going, too? You are a doctor."

"I understand I'm a doctor, Jim; but Jo is still out there." Jim nodded and simply stated,

"Okay, Bones. Scotty, are you gonna need help?" Scotty shook his head worriedly,

"I don't know, Cap'n. I am gonna need someone to help in case we run into some more trouble with the infected." Kirk nodded to Uhura and Sulu,

"I hate to break up a pair but do you think you can bring them back safely, Uhura? Once you make it back, you can come find us again."

"Yes I can, Captain. See you later. Alright, Scotty, you get Chekov, I'll cover you." Scotty nodded and pulled Chekov onto his shoulder saying,

"Oi, lad. Let's get you home." Chekov nodded slightly and blinked a few times before shutting his eyes and leaning into to Scotty, just wanting to rest. Scotty stood and started walking down the street, Uhura following. Turning slowly, Bones moved in a full circle, surveying their surroundings. His surgeon eyes picked up a glimmer of color on the bleak landscape, a bright red, a ripped piece of an old shirt. Bones jogged forward eagerly, desperate for any sign of his daughter. He picked up the red fabric tentatively, and ran his hand over it gently. Pressing it up to his nose, a familiar scent lifted to greet him, the shirt smelled of strawberries, like Jo. Momentarily forgetting the reality of his situation, he allowed himself to smile. Jim came up to Bones and placed a hand on his shoulder, waking Bones from his reverie. Jim toned softly,

"Is that hers?" Bones snapped,

"Of course it is!" Not long after, a scream erupted from the third building down East 90th from where they were standing. Immediately, Bones straightened and yelled, "Jo! I'm coming, baby girl!" Jim ran to catch up when he saw the building number, 115. He stopped short just looking at the number until he remembered where he had seen it before. The database listed 115 East 90th street as a red level building. Jumping into action, Jim screamed,

"Bones!" as he ran in after his friend, with Sulu on his heels. Ripping his pistol from its holster, he pointed it out in front of him, prepared to fight anything that came his way. Sulu pulled out a larger M16, but did the same. Slowly, they cleared the rooms, without finding any sign of Bones. Kirk turned left down a long hallway and saw an infected as it lurched off down the hallway. Nodding at Sulu, Jim slowly followed the infected and discovered a scene they just could not comprehend. Bones, on his knees, facing them yet focused on a little girl standing in the middle of the room. Judging by the horrified look on Bones' face Kirk called out, "Joanna? Is that you?" It was then that Bones looked up at them and it was then when they realized that Bones had tears in his eyes, not tears of joy, but of grief, for when the little girl turned to face them she had the wide-eyed bright smile look of a child, but the bite wound of the infected. She chirped,

"I'm Joanna. Jo, for short. I am really glad my daddy found me, I want to go home, now." Kirk lowered his gun and Bones drawled sadly,

"Yeah, sweetheart, we're gonna go home soon." She visibly brightened when she turned to look at her father and squeaked in excitement. Bones opened his arms and pulled the little girl into a warm embrace. He buried his face in his hair and inhaled deeply. Then, pulling her even tighter, he kissed her forehead affectionately. "I love you, baby girl." She wriggled away to face him,

"I'm sorry for running away, daddy. I was a bad girl, and I promise I won't ever do it again. I wanna go back now, daddy. Can we go back home now?" Silver tears slid down Bones' cheeks as he pulled her into his arms again. Jim spoke up,

"Bones, you know what has to be done. No exceptions, she is clearly bitten." Through the sobs, Bones choked,

"I know. Just get it over with, Jim."

A single gunshot rang out through the room.

"I'm sorry, Bones."

**(All The Stars Have Gone Out is something i plan to continue on as a sort of series. stay tuned for more updates.)**


	2. Will There Be No End?

Chapter 2

Bones rushed into the operating room where the medical team was still in surgery on Chekov. He pulled on a pair of gloves and pushed his way to Chekov's side. A weak Chekov opened his eyes and groaned as Bones laid a gentle hand on his left shoulder. "Hello, Doktor." Bones' eyes had tears in them when he smiled at Chekov.

"It's good to see you, Kid. How are you holding up?" Chekov returned Bones' smile and breathed,

"ee'm doing better." The lead surgeon on the med team finished stitching Chekov's shoulder and said,

"Help me sit him up." Bones slid an arm under Chekov and slowly pulled him into a sitting position so the surgeon could finish wrapping Chekov's shoulder. Chekov whispered,

"Vat about ze little girl? Ze one you went searching for?" A single silver tear slid down Bones' cheek and he choked,

"Sh-she's dead." Chekov's eyes dimmed as he looked away sadly,

"ee'm soorry, doktor."

"Don't be, kid. It wasn't your fault." The boy hesitated before asking,

"Deed she get…eenfected?" Bones nodded and looked down. There was a silence that filled the room when the medics left. Chekov tried to say something comforting, but he couldn't seem to find the words. It was fine with Bones; he wasn't really in the mood for talking. He knew he should go tell the others that Chekov was awake, but he didn't want to leave the boy just yet.

Bones let his mind wander to Joanna as the silence continued on. She was cheerful and hopeful up to the end. He smiled to himself when he thought of all her innocent questions. The thought was ruined when he finally realized he'll never see her smile again, or hear her chatter about what her imagination created. In an unsuccessful attempt to block out the painful thoughts; Bones squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip. Chekov's concerned face looked up at him when he finally did open his eyes. The young Russian cooed,

"You doon't haf to leeve doktor. I like ze coompany." Reaching out, Bones pulled Chekov into his arms and buried his face in little Chekov's shoulder.

Kirk walked into the HQ and set his gun down on a nearby desk before flopping down in a chair. Spock looked up at the sound and briskly strode to meet his old friend and captain. He suddenly burst out in anger, startling Kirk,

"What the fuck was that?" Kirk sat up and tilted his head in puzzlement,

"What was what?"

"You shot her! That little girl! You knew it was against protocol, but you did it anyway." Kirk narrowed his eyes at Spock,

"She was bitten; I did what I had to." Spock's anger cooled but he refused to back down,

"You know that it is against protocol to kill someone until they turn."

"Oh, yeah, I could just bring her back to base and let Bones watch as his daughter slowly turned into a monster!"

"Yes, if it means following protocol." Jim stood and snarled,

"You cold, unfeeling bastard! I hope to God you never have children!" He shoved Spock back, glaring and stormed out of the room in search of Bones.

Bones was just leaving Chekov's sickroom when Kirk ran into him. Jim was about to apologize when he realized who he had found,

"Bones. I've been looking for you. But before we get any further, how is Chekov?" Bones drawled,

"The kid's gonna be okay."

"Good. Now, I wanted to say; I'm sorry, Bones. I didn't want it to end that way, you know that." Bones nodded absently and Jim continued,

"If you need anything, Bones, anything at all, you just let me know, Okay?" Again, with the absent nod, and Kirk sighed, wondering how his friend would handle this. Patting Bones' shoulder gently, Jim continued on his way to find Uhura. Jim turned the corner and saw Uhura talking to a small group of survivors. When she saw him, she left them and started towards him. She asked,

"Something wrong, Jim?" Jim snorted,

"Yeah, your boyfriend is a douchebag." Uhura rolled her eyes,

"What did he do this time?"

"He said that he would much rather follow protocol and make Bones watch his daughter turn before killing her. The girl was clearly bitten, there would have been nothing we could do for her. Losing a child is always hard, but imagine how much worse it would be for him as a doctor, and having no way to cure your only child." Uhura shook her head,

"I have no way of understanding the pain he's going through right now, but I would never make him watch like that, it's the worst form of torture a parent could ever endure. I'll talk to Spock, hopefully I can make him understand." Jim nodded,

"Good. If you get the chance, go talk to Bones, he needs all the help he can get right now."

"I will. I was on my way to see Chekov, after that I can go find him. I'll talk to Spock later." With that, Uhura turned and walked down the hallway Jim just came from. Uhura walked in to Chekov's sickroom to see him attempt to sit up and move around. She managed to catch him before he could get out of bed and she smiled as she laid a hand on his chest and gently pushed him back into the pillows. Chekov, bursting with energy, sighed and rolled his eyes saying,

"I just vanted to valk, Lieutenant."

"I know you do, Chekov, but you've lost too much blood. You won't be able to support your own weight, and that will only hurt you more." Spock appears in the doorway,

"The Lieutenant is correct, to assume that one would be able to stand so soon after an injury as serious as the one you have sustained is highly illogical." Uhura whipped around and slapped Spock in the face. The surprise on the Vulcan's face was clearly visible, but he showed no other sign of physical duress. He replied coolly,

"Nyota, I do not see the reasoning for your violent outburst. Is there something I have done?"

"Yes, Spock, there is something you have done. How could you choose to stand by regulations when Bones' daughter was clearly infected? What part of you would make him watch?"

"The part of me that recognizes rules. I understand that it would be hard for Doctor McCoy, but what if the girl was immune? What if she could have been used to cure this…this disease." Their argument was cut short when Chekov whimpered,

"Commander…" Spock looked up to see many of Chekov's pillows soaked with a growing pool of blood. Spock hissed,

"Nyota, I will get the Doctor, help the Ensign as much as you can until my return." Uhura nodded and turned to help Chekov as Spock raced out the door. Spock ran toward the American Wing where Bones was quartered. Running past piles of rubble and debris, he almost collided with Bones as he crossed the threshold into the surgeon's room. He breathed deeply,

"Doctor, Chekov requires your assistance immediately." Dropping the book in his hands, Bones snapped tiredly,

"I am not fetching him another glass of water, dammit. And the answer is no, he still can't get up."

"It is not that, doctor, it appears he has reopened the wound." Cursing and muttering under his breath, Bones darted out to find Chekov.

Chekov's vision was blurred by the time Bones slammed into the room.

"What did you do?" Bones pulled on some gloves. He did not wait for an answer before removing the soaked bandages from the boy's shoulder. Immediately, Bones took control of the situation, "Spock, go find me a med team, until then, Uhura, I'm going to need your help. Get me more bandages, and a needle with thread." As Uhura ran to the cabinets to get the necessary supplies, Bones flipped Chekov onto his stomach and went to work removing the ruined stitching. Bones urged, "Quickly, Uhura." Just as she darted back with some bandages. Ripping a small piece of cloth into a pad, he pressed it into the wound and quipped, "Keep pressure on this while I remove the stitching to try and limit the blood loss." Uhura nodded and followed his instructions without a sound. Bones carefully cut out the rest of the stitches and grabbed more thread to begin repair work. Bones started to work the needle into the torn flesh when Uhura cried,

"Bones, Chekov is about to pass out." Bones looked up worriedly and toned,

"Keep him awake if you can, Uhura. I'm working as fast as I can." Bones continued to push the needle through Chekov's skin and tied off the first knot to prevent it from unraveling. Slowly working his way through the wound to the other side, Bones tied the finishing knot just as the med team ran in with Spock. Bones muttered, "Took you long enough." As he pressed another bandage over the wound and started rewrapping Chekov's shoulder. Gently, Bones turned Chekov onto his back again as one of the other doctors smiled,

"Well, he was in good hands, Doctor." A faint smile passed Bones' lips as he replied,

"You can go, I'll let you know if I need your assistance." The med team left without another word while Spock and Uhura remained. Bones sank down into a chair by the bed and rubbed his temples slowly. Uhura laid a hand on Bones' shoulder and squeezed gently; he looked up at her and smiled weakly. He placed a hand on her arm to show that he understood. Quietly, Uhura grabbed Spock and pulled him from the room forcefully. She practically threw him out of the room and did not speak until the door was shut behind her,

"I suggest you leave Bones alone, and know that the only reason I am not strangling you right now is because he's close." Pushing him away she continued, "We are not finished with this talk." With that, Uhura started back into Chekov's room. Quietly, she asked McCoy,

"How long do you think he'll have to stay in here like this? Not being able to get up and move around for fear of ripping it open again." McCoy shrugged,

"It's been awhile since I've seen injuries this bad, darlin', if all goes well, he should be off bed rest in 'bout two or three weeks."

"Assuming that nothing like today happens again." Bones nodded confirmation and rubbed his temples. He was exhausted, the adrenaline rush that had come when he'd needed to help Chekov was long gone and he was starting to feel the after effects. Uhura put a gentle hand on his shoulder and continued, "Bones, get some sleep, forcing yourself to stay awake under this much stress will only hurt you and you know it. Go back to your room, I'll let you know if anything happens with Chekov, if not, Doctor McCoy, I will see you in the morning. Understood?" Bones stifled a yawn and turned to leave, glancing back at Chekov.

Bones woke up in the morning and for a few moments he forgot about Joanna's death, but when he remembered, his grief from the day before hit him like a freight train; until he remembered Chekov. He bolted from his room and down the hall to make sure the young Russian was okay. He stopped and forced himself to calm down outside the door to Chekov's sickroom. When he walked in, Chekov turned his head slowly, his skin abnormally pale. Uhura was asleep in the bedside chair and Bones decided to let her sleep. Stepping forward, he puts Chekov's small hand inside his own rough and calloused one. The younger man looked up at Bones with sweet blue eyes, but the words he said next chilled McCoy to the bone.

"Ee'm scared, Doktor." Bones was clearly puzzled when he replied,

"Scared of what?"

"I don't vant to die, Doktor." Bones' puzzlement changed to fear when he asked,

"What's makin' ya say that?" Chekov shifted so McCoy could see the pillows the boy was resting on and seeing the one underneath him soaked with fresh blood brought on a wave of horror. There was no way he could lose both his kids in less than twenty-four hours. The world couldn't possibly be that cruel, … could it? Chekov tried on another smile and he could see tears slip down Bones' face. Bones bent down to wrap Chekov in his arms and hot tears poured from his cheeks onto Chekov's bloodstained shirt. Chekov hugged Bones with all the force his weak form could muster and muttered,

"Ee'm sorry, Doktor." Then, the Russian's body shuddered and one last breath escaped his lips before he fell limp in Bones' arms. Bones' sobs woke Uhura and when she saw the scene that had played out before her, she was on her feet in seconds, arms wrapped around Bones as she, too, began to sob uncontrollably. Their wailing brought Jim and Spock in, who were soon followed by Scotty and Sulu. Jim stared at the dead body in disbelief, Scotty's face was a blank mask of grief, and Sulu was on the floor crying in seconds. Even Spock looked distressed as he surveyed the loss of life.

Bones went retreated to his room once they had come to take the body away. Chekov's body would be cremated and buried in the makeshift grave yard they had. There wouldn't be a funeral, there never was. The survivors would be honored at their pyre and the only thing that would prove that they had existed was a tiny stone block with their name etched in the surface. All of it gave Bones the sudden urge to rip something apart with his teeth. Bones paused when he thought that and wondered why he had specifically thought to use his teeth instead of a weapon or even his hands. Bones shrugged and didn't think anything of it until he pulled off his shirt. There was a reflective piece of glass over in the corner of his room; when he happened to catch his image in it he paled at the sight of a warped crescent of red cuts that could be made by nothing other than an upper jaw's worth of teeth. He sat down on the bed trying to think of something to do. When that infected had come after him, he could've sworn he had kept it from breaking his skin, but he was wrong. He threw his shirt back on and went out to find Jim.

Bones walked out to HQ and was actually surprised to see Jim still there, figuring that he would've been catching some sleep before the morning. Bones paused, unsure of how to tell his friend. _To hell with planning, if you're right, you're dead anyway._ "Jim!" Bones called. Jim looked up at the sound and stood to meet Bones. He started,

"Something wrong?" Bones nodded and whispered,

"Yes, Jim, very wrong." If McCoy hadn't had his attention earlier, he certainly did now.

"What's the matter?" Taking a deep breath and taking a small step back McCoy continued,

"I'd been so intent on finding Joanna and saving Chekov…" He choked, "I didn't realize it until now."

"Spit it out, Bones!"

"When I ran into that building to get Jo, I was attacked by an infected, I thought I was fine… I think it bit me, Jim. I'm infected." Jim paled and stood stock still, trying to comprehend what he had just heard.

"As much as I hate that bastard right now, we need to find Spock. Who knows, Bones, you may not have contracted the virus, or… or… you could be immune! We'll never know unless we wait." Bones nodded dejectedly and followed Jim. Within the half hour, Bones was in a simple room with one clear plastic wall that a med team would watch him through. Over the next twenty-one hours remaining in the two-day change cycle, Bones' fate would be decided. He would live in spite of the disease or he would die at the hands of the survivors. Time ticked away endlessly, and Bones could feel his anger spiking. He wanted to fight out, punch away the glass and rip every living thing in his path to shreds. He started coughing up blood about three hours in to his wait. His focus left him almost six hours later. An hour after that, he was on his feet and swinging punches at the walls, his knuckles were bloody when he heard a sound behind him on the other side of the plastic. He launched at it and heard the plastic crack. Fighting for control of rational thoughts, he sank to his knees with his head in his hands and screamed in agony. On the other side of the glass, Jim Kirk was among those watching. He was standing utterly still, his pale face a mask of indifference. He tried to watch as Bones' turned, but he couldn't bring himself to watch the horror. Hearing Bones scream for a second time was enough to drive him over the edge, his anger exploded in full force as he whipped on the scientists,

"Finish him! I can't believe that you could just sit back and watch as that disease tortures him!" then muttering to himself, "Where's my goddamn gun? I'll finish him myself." Jim pulled his gun from his belt and pushed open the door to Bones' cage. He lifted the gun and aimed at Bones' head but he did not pull the trigger. Bones looked up at him from where he sat crumpled in the middle of the room. Jim looked into his friend's brown eyes and all his willpower left him. How could he kill one of his closest friends and call it anything but murder? Spock walked up beside him and placed a hand on Jim's shoulder. Jim looked at him and let go of the gun as Spock's hand drifted to take it. Spock spoke softly,

"Go, Captain. I will see that Bones is taken care of." Jim nodded numbly and raced away. He was halfway across the building when he heard the gunshots. The sound wasn't loud, but to Jim it was deafening, he stopped so abruptly, many would have thought that it was him who had been killed instead. First, Joanna, then Chekov, and now Bones. How many more would he lose before the week was up? How many more would have to die before there came a time when he couldn't bear it anymore? Kirk found his rundown room and sat down on the bed. It started with tears, and ended with sobs. They were all gone; and so was he.


End file.
